Box



F. KLAPPROTH.

BOX.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 591E922.

Patented Nov- 7, 1922.

ELAWifiSRO WC/W Patented Nov. 7, 1922..

ITED

FREDERICK KLAPPROTII,

Application filed February 9, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK Km?- PROTH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to boxes particularly to more or less shallow wooden boxes for shippingand protecting such commodities as packaged cheese, figs, candied fruits, or the likes. In general the object of the invention is to provide for simplified assembling and securing together of the box parts which will materially simplify the manufacture of the boxes, decrease the cost of manufacture, and produce a box of greater strength and security.

In the present manufacture of such boxes, the first step is to assemble the sides of the box frame and secure the sides together at the corners by nailing, one set of sides being applied against the ends of the other sides and nails driven through the applied sides to engage longitudinally in the other sides parallel with the grain thereof. The next step is to apply the bottom boards to the frame usually by nailing. The box is then shipped with a number of boards for forming the top thereof. Such manufacture involves considerable time and expense and furthermore the boxes are weak at the corners, the nails which extend into the ends of the sides with the grain responding readily to pressure so that the box can be readily opened at the corners and contents extracted and the sides again applied without leaving any trace.

One of the important objects of my invention is to reduce the number of manufacturing steps to two, one assembling step during which all the parts for the frame and the bottom are assembled, and one fastening step during which all these parts are secured together by nails, staples or other suitable securing means. The arrangement is such that the sides for the frame and the bottom boards can be quickly and readily set up on a nailing or stapling machine and then. all secured together by one or two operations of the machine.

In the prior construction above referred to where the nails at the corners of the frame extend longitudinally into the ends of the sides, it is impossible to drive nails through the bottom boards at the outer corners there- PIl t i OF CIICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Serial No. 535,153.

of, as such nails would encounter such frame nails, and to avoid such interference of nails and splitting of the boards or sides the bottom board nails must be driven a distance inwardly from the outer sides of the boards, thus leaving unsecured outer sections of the board which are free to warp or curl and expose the contents of the box. Another important object of my invention is therefore to provide improved arrangement which will enable the bottom boards to be secured close to their corners to the frame sides with out causing splitting or splintering. This I accomplish by providing rabbet joints for the ends of the frame sides and this permits the driving of nails the corners of the box throughthe corners of the bottom board and transversely through the overlapping rabbet ends of the frame sides. Many advantages result from this construction.' In the first place the bottom boards can be secured at their outer corners. In the second place a saving in nails effected, one nail or staple serving at each corner of the box to secure the box sides together at that corner and at the same time securing the bottom board at that corner. In the third place the nails or staples at the corners extend transversely through the frame sides and consequently get a much better hold and form a much stronger corner, and it will be impossible to separate the frame sides at the corners or to remove tile bottom boards wi hout mutilation and therefore detection. In the fourth place the arrangement permits of the reduction of the manufacturing steps, for the frame sides and bottom boards can all be readily assembled, and then the nails or staples applied by hand or by machine.

The various features of my invention are exemplified in the box illustrated on the accompanying drawing, on which drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the box,

Fig. 2 is a bottom view, and

Fig. 3 is a side view partly in sections on line 33 Fig. 2.

The box frame comprises the longitudinal side pieces 5 and 6 and the transverse side pieces 7 and 8. The frame is rectangular and may be oblong or square. The side pieces except as to length are alike, each being cut transversely at its ends, preferably halfway down, to form the rabbet tongues 9 andthe rabbet notches 10. In assembling for manufacture, the end pieces are set on edge with their rabbet tongues and notches engaging, as shown in Fig. 2, and then the bottom boards are laid on. Any number of such boards may be used, two boards 11 and 12 being shown. The securing members 13 such as nails or staples are then applied either by hand or by machine. The securing members at the outer corners of the bottom boards are so driven that they will also extend through the overlapping tongues 9 of the side pieces, and thus at each corner of the box one fastening member will serve to secure the frame side piecestogether and also the bottom boards to the frame. A saving in nails or staples is thus effected. ()ther nails or staples may be driven through the bot-tom board and into the frame sides to such number and at such locations as desired. For each. box a number of top boards 14. are provided which are shipped with the box to be fastened in place after the box has been filled.

With my improved construction there is only one assembling step and one fastening step. lVhen a nailing or stapling machine is used the frame side pieces are set upon the machine bed, the bottom boards laid thereon, and then the assembled structure moved into fastening position and the machine operated to apply the nails or staples, and the machine can be easily arranged to drive all the nails or staples at once. The nails or staples at the box corners extend transversely through the rabbet tongues of the frame sides and get a secure hold, and it will be almost impossible to Withdraw the nails or staples except With a suitable nail puller which would of course leave traces and indications that the box had been tampered with. To pull the frame pieces apart at the corners Without removing the corner nail or staple would be impossible without splitting and breaking of the rabbet tongues and of the bottom boar l. My improved con struction therefore provides strong and secure corners and Will prevent tampering with the box and felonious removal of the contents. The common securing of the frame sides and the bottom boards at the box corners also eliminates splitting and splintering which Would result from the interference of nails or staples if the frame pieces were first secured together and then the bot-tom boards nailed or stapled thereto.

Having desc ibed my invention, I claim as follows:

1. In a shipping box, the combination of similar side pieces having their ends cut transversely to form rabbet tongues and notches, said sides being set on edge with their rabbet tongues and notches inter-engaging to form the box frame, bottom boards applied on said sides, and nails extending through the outer corners of said boards and through the overlapping rabbet tongues at the frame corners to serve as common means for securing the sides together and the bottom boards thereto.

2. In a box of the class described, the combination of a frame comprising sides set on edge and having vertically overlapping sections at their ends, a bottom, and a. common means at each corner of the box extending through said bottom and overlapping sections for securing the sides together at the corners and the bottom thereto.

3. In a shipping box, the combination of sides, each side at each end being notched to leave a tongue, said sides being arranged with the tongues and notches interengaging to form the frame of the box, a bottom, and a nail member at each corner extending through the bottom and the corresponding tongues, said nail members serving as the sole means for securing the sides at the cor ners and the bottom thereto.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 6th day of February, A. I)., 1922.

FREDERICK KLAPPROTH. 

